Before the Ballon d’Or ceremony, organized by France Football, Real Madrid, in support of Vinícius Júnior, chose to cancel the trip to Paris to attend the ceremony in person. Now, Vincent Garcia, editor-in-chief of the magazine, has revealed that he was pressured by the merengue club in the days before the event to reveal the winner of the best player in the world award.
This year, unlike other editions, the Ballon d’Or did not reveal before the ceremony which players won the awards. Previously, the best player in the world was interviewed by France Football and found out about his Ballon d’Or victory even before it was announced at the Théâtre du Châtelet, in Paris. According to Garcia, Real Madrid forced the magazine to reveal the winner this year. “We were very clear with them and all the other clubs. This year, the winning club and the winner of the award (for best player in the world) would not be notified. I thought everyone had agreed, but at the last moment, I don’t know for what reason, they wanted to change the rule”, he said, in an interview with L’Équipe TV.
Spanish club canceled broadcast of the awards ceremony
“I had a lot of pressure from Real Madrid, but, as with other clubs, I was always clear and fair. Maybe my silence pushed them to the limit, but I did the same with the others”, he added. Real Madrid organized a boycott of the awards on Monday. As a result of the feeling of injustice, it also canceled a broadcast about the Ballon d’Or on its official channel, RMTV. “The Ballon d’Or no longer exists for us,” the club said in a statement.
Even so, Carlo Ancelotti and the club were rewarded on Monday night in Paris. Garcia understands that Vini Jr.’s defeat in the best player in the world award was due to the large number of Real Madrid players in the dispute. In addition to the Brazilian, Dani Carvajal, Toni Kross and Jude Bellingham were in the top 10 of the awards. “All the favorite clubs forced us to give up the information. Obviously, Vini probably suffered from the presence of Bellingham and Carvajal in the top five because, mathematically, it took some points from him. It also sums up Real’s season, and the judges divided their choices , which benefited Rodri”, he points out.
